strawberry

This luscious summer fruit jam is bursting with flavor while the touch of rosemary tempers the jam’s sweetness. “Hey are you planning to make plum jam this season? Can I tag along for a team jam session?’ texted my friend Tina. I had given her a batch of my vanilla and bay leaf plum jam […]

Let’s talk inspiration. Like what inspired me to come up a variation of a white chocolate brownie with these Caramelized White Chocolate Pistachio Brownie with Strawberry Balsamic Swirl. I go to a lot of food events, but the single one that I look forward to every year is the Meals on Wheels Star Chefs and […]

AJ and I took the month of July off, packed our bags and went to paradise (ie. Maui). I called it “my sabbatical” as I had grandiose plans to do many things that I can’t seem to do when I am at home, in my apartment, with the numerous distractions that come with being at […]

[Advanced warning: this is an epic long post. Don’t look/read it on an empty stomach] Once a year, there comes an event that is THE absolute best San Francisco Bay Area’s food & wine event of the year: The Meals on Wheels Star Chef’s & Vintner’s Gala. I’ve been going to the black tie event […]

Remember how I talked about how I love my life? Well part of the reason I love it so much is that I have fantastic fabulous friends. Take for instance my partner-in-crime Sabrina of the Tomato Tart, who I presented with at BlogHer Food on design and branding (the post about our session is coming […]

I’ve written about the San Francisco Food Blogger’s Bake Sale back in May before the event, but I never did have a chance to write about the fact that our little community bake sale here in San Francisco made $2500! That’s a whole lot of cash from some cookies and brownies (and cakes and pies […]

Hey there. How’s it going? As usual things have been rather busy here in Eat the Love land. But I wanted to let you all know about a project I’ve been working on with a bunch of other food bloggers. You may have already heard about it, but it’s called Nudie Foodies: Food Bloggers Peel […]

So you’re probably wondering what I did with those slow roasted strawberries that I posted previously here on Eat the Love. Turns out I made two things with them for the Bake Sale for Japan that Samin organized. And though it didn’t turn out exactly as I had mentally imagined them to be, I was […]

Two weeks ago I wrote a letter that I have never written in my entire life. It was a letter of resignation to the owner of the company that I worked at. Worked at, as in past tense, because I was giving my two weeks notice and today is my last day at my job. I wrote the letter the day before I was to give notice, panicked a little when I saw the stark black type on the extremely white screen, and was talked down from the ledge of insecurity by my wonderful partner AJ who has been telling me all along that I had to quit my job because I was so unhappy. And then, after taking a few deep breathes, I went and baked a peach and strawberry cream cobbler. Because that’s what I do to calm myself down. I bake.

The tweet came in on Wednesday afternoon. I had decided to check twitter because the tedium of work demanded that I take a break “Ice-cream social is drop-in event open to everyone! Come one, come all! Only RSVP if you are bringing an addition to the Sundae Bar! 7PM Th.” said 18 Reasons. Oh man. I had one day to bake something delicious for the sundae bar…and that something was Almond Congo Bars as well as Balsamic Vinegar Strawberry Fudge Brownies! Because why show up with just one thing, when you can show up with two (also I could get AJ and me in for free if we showed up with two things)?

In a fit of anxiety that I wouldn’t have anything to blog about (apparently that’s not an issue as I seem to have a backlog of posts that I’m trying to catch up on) I joined the Daring Kitchen group Daring Baker’s Challenge. For those not in the know, they challenge everyone in the group to bake the same thing and then post simultaneously the results of the baking on the 27th of the month. The April 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Esther of The Lilac Kitchen. She challenged everyone to make a traditional British pudding using, if possible, a very traditional British ingredient: suet.

I’ll be honest…strawberry shortcake isn’t necessarily the first thing you think of when you think of a birthday cake. And though it’s true that I’ve made a pretty fancy strawberry shortcake like desert before for my dessert party (an adaptation of Sherry Yard’s Desserts by the Yard – it’s a white chocolate buttermilk cake with layers of whipped marscarpone cream and fresh strawberries – one of these days I’ll blog about the fancy version on the left there as it really is one of my favorite cakes), I just didn’t have the time nor the cookware available for me to make something that fancy.

Follow Me On

“My goodness, this cookbook! It’s filled to the brim with recipes for the most splendidly beautiful cakes, cookies, breads, and tarts I think I’ve ever seen. My eyes kept getting wider and wider as I turned every page—both the flavor combinations and the photos are out of this world. Irvin Lin has most definitely outdone himself. This book is a triumph!”
—REE DRUMMOND, New York Times best-selling author of The Pioneer Woman Cooks

“Irvin Lin gives home-baked treats a twist, ramping them up with a range of contemporary flavors that are sure to surprise and delight. From beer-battered brownies to smoky butterscotch taking a classic cake to the next level, I can’t wait to mix, stir, and bake my way through Marbled, Swirled, and Layered!”
—DAVID LEBOVITZ, author of My Paris Kitchen

Subscribe via Email

The Baker, Writer, Recipe Maker

Hey there! Thanks for visiting my blog. I'm Irvin Lin, an IACP-Award winning photographer, award winning baker, award winning graphic designer, storyteller, recipe developer, writer and average joe bon vivant. Hilarity often ensues when I'm involved. I currently reside in San Francisco in the neighborhood people have recently taken to calling "The Gastro" - a block from Dolores Park and right near Tartine Bakery, Bi Rite Market & Creamery, and Delfina.

I can also be found at various food events around the city. Feel free to contact me by clicking on that picture of me up above or emailing me eatthelove {at} gmail {dot} com.

Search Eat the Love

“Irvin Lin is the creative mind behind his Eat the Love food blog. Lin’s impressive photography skills support his training in graphic design on the site, and you would never believe that is food blogger is a self-taught baker.” - PBS Food

“We love Eat the Love because Irvin's beautiful sweets look as good as they taste — his art director's eye appreciates the ruby sparkle of a pile of pomegranate seeds against the matte canvas of chocolate ganache.”
- Saveur.com, Sites We Love

“Lin, a designer and baker, shares his passion for baking with creative sweets that focus on seasonal ingredients with healthy doses of humor and charm. It's impossible not to read his site and crave dessert.”
- Yum Food & Fun Magazine

Rotating Favorite Photographers

Disclaimer

This blog currently has a partnership with Amazon.com in their affiliate program, which gives me a small percentage of sales if you buy a product through a link on my blog. I only recommend products (usually cookbooks, but sometimes ingredients or equipment) that I use and love, not for any compensation unless otherwise noted in the blog post. If you are uncomfortable with this, feel free to go directly to Amazon.com and search for the book or item of your choice.